Managing the trade in sturgeon and paddlefish.

Sturgeon caviar is one of the most expensive and sought-after wildlife products in the world. For many people, a fancy party or New Year's Eve celebration is not complete without a serving of these glistening black or golden fish eggs. Sturgeons have been prized for their roe since ancient times, and markets for caviar have increased rapidly in recent years. During the 1990s, legal global caviar trade ranged from 200 to 400 metric tons per year, a range the organization TRAFFIC estimated in 2003. With illegal trade estimated to be 6 to 10 times larger than the legal trade, demand for this delicacy has put many sturgeon populations at risk.

The order Acipenseriformes, which includes all sturgeons and paddlefishes, is a group of primitive fishes that inhabit fresh and coastal marine waters in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere. Caught primarily for their unfertilized eggs, which are processed to yield caviar, sturgeons and paddlefishes are particularly vulnerable to overfishing due to certain characteristics of their life history. These species are long-lived and slow to reach sexual maturity. When mature, most species spawn only once every 2 to 4 years. Heavy fishing pressure, illegal take and trade, and habitat loss and degradation have led to declines in sturgeon populations worldwide.

Because caviar is heavily traded internationally, CITES has an important role to play in sturgeon conservation. The entire order Acipenseriformes is listed in CITES Appendix II, except for two species listed in Appendix I. The CITES permitting system provides a mechanism for identifying illegal shipments and ensuring that fishing levels are sustainable. (See article on sustainable use in this issue of the Bulletin.)

The non-detriment finding required for issuance of CITES permits is also the focus of the CITES Review of Significant Trade, a powerful tool for promoting sustainable use of wildlife. Under such a review, species traded internationally in substantial numbers are evaluated to ensure that exporting countries are making adequate non-detriment findings, based on the best available scientific information. If non-detriment findings are not being made properly, remedial actions are recommended. Failure to respond to recommendations from the Review of Significant Trade can result in sanctions, including voluntary international trade suspensions.

In 1998, CITES countries became so concerned about the burgeoning black market for Caspian Sea caviar and the impact of international trade on the status of sturgeon populations that the entire order was recommended for the Review of Significant Trade. The review resulted in recommendations for Black Sea and Azov Sea sturgeon populations, including substantial reductions in export quotas, and a three-stage plan of action for Caspian Sea stocks.

The Caspian Sea plan included a moratorium on commercial harvest for the remainder of that year, establishment of long-term stock assessment surveys, a significant increase in efforts to combat illegal take and trade, and adoption of a collaborative basin-level management plan for sturgeon fisheries. Although the greatest concern was centered on the collapsing Caspian Sea stocks, which had supplied up to 90 percent of the global caviar market, North American species also came under scrutiny during the review. No recommendations were made for U.S. species, since the review concluded that adequate non-detriment findings were being made and trade was effectively controlled.

Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), native to the Black and Caspian sea drainages, is the source of the world's most highly prized caviar. The United States is the largest importer of beluga caviar. In April 2004, the Service listed beluga sturgeon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This listing should help reinforce conservation measures begun under the CITES Review of Significant Trade and support implementation of future management actions.

The North American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is the U.S. species most common in the international caviar trade. The Review of Significant Trade helped focus attention on the status and management of U.S. paddlefish populations. Since it was list in CITES Appendix II in 1992, exports of wild-caught paddlefish roe have increased sharply, fueled at least in part by the decreasing Caspian Sea caviar supply. During 2000-2001, more than 5,000 kilograms (11,000 pounds) of wild-caught paddlefish caviar were exported from the United States. Increasing demand and attractive prices continue to put pressure on U.S. populations and provide incentives for illegal trafficking. Roe from one paddlefish can yield $300 to the fisherman and up to $1,300 to the retailer if it is sold as domestic caviar, or $2,400 if it is mislabeled and sold as counterfeit Russian caviar.

Implementation of CITES requirements in the United States has provided the Service an opportunity to work with other federal and state agencies to promote long-term sustainable use of paddlefish. The Service works with state law enforcement agencies to uncover false labeling schemes and poaching rings, and is an active member of the Paddlefish/Sturgeon Subcommittee of the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Agreement.

In the case of sturgeon and paddlefish, CITES provides an impetus for countries and the responsible bodies within countries to manage species collaboratively in order to ensure their survival in the wild. This includes focusing worldwide enforcement efforts on eliminating illegal and unsustainable international trade.

A partnership involving federal, state, and academic interests is producing valuable data about the status of a heavily exploited fish population. A two-year U.S. Geological Survey/ Fish and Wildlife Service Science Support grant to the Tennessee Technological University's Cooperative Research Unit is assessing paddlefish stocks and the commercial fishery in Kentucky Lake, Tennessee. This site provides 80 to 90 percent of the state's catch. An additional one-year grant funds a study of post-release mortality of juvenile, male, and non-reproductive female paddlefish taken in the commercial fishery.

Laura Noguchi ([e-mail]) is a biologist in the Division of Management Authority and Marie Maltese ([e-mail]) is a biologist in the Division of Scientific Authority, both located in the Service's International Affairs Program in Arlington, Virginia.